"The 5th National Project Manager for Program for International Student Assessment for Development - NPM" 22-25 May, 2017

SIEM REAP, Cambodia – 22 MARCH 2017

From 22^nd to 25^th of May, 2017, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS) of the Kingdom of Cambodia officially hosted "The 5^th National Project Manager for the Program for International Student Assessment for Development-NPM" at Sokha Angkor Resort, Siem Reap, Cambodia. This opening ceremony of the NPM presided over by H.E. Dr. HANG CHUON NARON, Minister of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport.

H. E. Dr. Minister said; ''The PISA for Development project is an opportunity for all the nine participating countries to collectively engage ourselves in peer-to-peer learning. In our case, the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation from Korea has supported and guided us in many ways. Moreover, the project also allows us to collaborate with Ministries of Education and Assessment Institutes from other participating countries."

He expressed that "This meeting is a key platform for reviewing and analyzing the outcomes of the PISA for Development Field Trial, as implemented in the participating countries during September-December 2016. This meeting enables us to explore detailed plans for the main study, as implemented during September-December 2017. We will also be making the PISA’s Technical Standards more relevant to contexts of the participating countries. The National Project Managers play an essential role in shaping and guiding the contextualization process for the PISA for Development project. To enhance capacity of the National Project Managers to implement PISA and other large-scale assessments, during 2015-2018, they attend eight trainings on different topics, including framework and item development, sampling, translation/adaptation of survey instruments, data management, coding of students’ responses, data analysis and reporting. "

Michael, PISA Project Director of the OECD said; "The international community is united to achieve ambitious objectives to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education.  The education goal 4 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provides us with an opportunity to advance the work among countries, international organizations, and other partners to identify challenges and take actions for progress."

He continued; "Since 2000, every three years, some 80 countries and economies collaborate through the PISA to compare how well their school systems prepare young people for life and work.  Today PISA is considered as one of the important contributions to the monitoring and the implementation of the SDG education goals, and to facilitate and encourage the participation of a wider range of countries in PISA and in peer-learning to improve the learning of students, PISA for Development has been making efforts and progress in enhancing the PISA survey."

This meeting aim to review and discuss the outcomes of the PISA for Development Field Trial, and look ahead to detailed plans for data collection of the main studies in order to provide developing countries the opportunities to participate in the evaluation of education system worldwide by testing the skills and knowledge of 15-year-old students. The results from that evaluation will be used to enhance education policy, education strategy, curriculum, teaching and learning process. 

Eighty five participants attended the meetings are the representatives from PISA-D countries: Bhutan, Cambodia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Senegal, Zambia and the representatives from PISA countries: Brazil and Kosovo and the representatives from the PISA-D development partners, the PISA-D institutional partners, selected experts, international contractors, and the OECD Secretariat.

The National Project Manager Meeting (NPM) was organized 4 times. The first meeting was held in Ecuador, the second meeting in USA, the third meeting in Paraguay and the fourth meeting was held in Zambia. As we see the Cambodia's development with peace and security and good governance in accordance with the 3^rd IAG - meeting suggested the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport to host "the 4^th International Advisory Group Meeting for the Program International Student Assessment for Development- IAG" which held from 17- 19 May, 2017   and "the 5th National Project Manager for Program for International Student Assessment for Development - NPM" which held from 22-25 May, 2017 at Sokha Angkor Resort, Siem Reap, Cambodia.